What is Adequately Yearly Progress and what does it do?
There has been an AYP requirement in the law since 1994. AYP calls on states to establish a timeline for bringing 100% of students up to proficient level on state assessments. States start by defining AYP, which are the measurements of academic improvement a school must achieve to ensure that at the end of 12 years, every student graduating will have mastered the basics. Each state chooses where to set the initial academic achievement bar based on the lowest demographic group or based on a measure of the lowest achieving schools in the state, whichever is higher. Once the initial bar is established, the state is required to “raise the bar” gradually to reach 100% proficiency in reading, writing, and math at the end of 12 years. The initial bar must be raised after two years, and subsequent thresholds must be raised at least once every three years.
